Congressman Fooled By ‘The Onion’ Article

Republican congressman John Fleming of Louisiana is the latest person to fail at recognizing an article from ‘The Onion’ as satire.

Fleming posted, “Planned Parenthood Opens a $8 Billion Abortionplex,” on his Facebook page on February 4, which has more than 28,000 likes, with the caption “More on Planned Parenthood, abortion by the wholesale.” The story, which was originally published on May 18 in the well-know satirical newspaper, featured photos and a graphic displaying the fictional building’s floor plan.

The post has since been deleted from the Facebook page. Fleming, who holds an M.D., is a staunch pro-life supporter and opposes funding for Planned Parenthood.

However, taking The Onion stories seriously is a common phenomenon, especially on Facebook. In fact, it’s so common that there’s an entire blog dedicated to collecting people’s responses to stories from the newspaper’s website. It’s called ‘Literally Unbelievable,’ and the latest post? Congressman John Fleming’s gaffe.